Scrubber for refrigerating apparatus



May 12,1931 H. R. LORNGER ET/AL 1,804,836

SCRUBBER FOR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed June 16, 1924 Patented May12, 11931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HUBERT It. LORANG-ER, F HIGHLANDPARK, AND UBALD R. LORANG-ER, 0F DETROIT,

MICHIGAN; MARIE F. LOR'ANGER EXECUTRIX CEASED; ASSIGNORS TO AUTOMATICFREEZER CORPORATION, OF' DETROIT, MICH- IGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGANSCBUBBER FOR REFRIGERATING- APPARATUS Application filed June 16 Theinvention relates to refrigerating systems of the type in which asuitable medium, such as sulphur dioxide, is first liquefied bycompression and cooling and then circulated through a coil in a brinetank where it is expanded to produce the refrigerating effect.

In the copending application of Allen C. Thayer, Serial Number 615,672,filed January 29, 1923, an apparatus is described for re-I movingcorrosive substances which are formed during the circulation of thesulphur dioxide and our invention constitutes an improvement upon theapparatus. described therein. We have found that it is advantageous tolocate the scrubber for removing the corrosive impurities in a positionin the system Where the sulphur dioxide is in the liquid state and wehave, therefore, provided a construction which is adapted for thispurpose. One of the'objects of the invention is to -provide an apparatuswhich will func-tion as a combined scrubber, strainer and a reservoirfor the liquid sulphur dioxide. Another object is to provide a scrubberin which the active material is retained within a screen having a largesurface area. Other objects will -be apparent from the detaildescription of the apparatus which will be given hereinafter. ,4 Y

In the drawings Figure 1 is alongitudinal se the scrubber;

Figure 2 is an end view thereof; o Figure 3 is a diagrammatic viewshowing the location of the scrubber in a refrigerating system.

In the past considerable difficulty has been experienced withrefrigeratingv systems in ction through which sulphur dioxide isemployed as the .1

4o refrigerating medium. In practice air and moisture iinds its way intothe system and combines with the sulphur dioxide to form sulphurous andsulphuric acid which in turn corrodes the metal parts of the system withwhich said refrigerant comes -in contact-. The corrosive substances soformed react with the metallic parts of thecomp essor and formsubstances which may be ca ried by the refrigerating medium through thesystem, hence deposits are formed around the working parts 1924.' serialNo. 720,446.

which seriously interfere with their action. A is a cylindricalcontainer provided at the opposite ends with the plugs B and B', theformer being provided with an inlet nipple C located centrally thereofand the latter being provided with the outlet nipple C pref-A erablyoffset from the center. Within the oontainer A are located screens Dpreferably slightly spaced from the ends of the plugs B and B andbetween the screens there is a conical shell E also formed of screeningin which is placed the active material for reacting with the acidimpurities in the sulphur dioxide. One hundred mesh screening is asuitable material to be used for the shell and Zinc or iron chips orturnings F are placed ytherein as this materiaLhLas been found tochemically react with the acid impurities in the sulphur dioxide.Surrounding the conical shell E we preferably place asbestos which formsa filter for the liquid and prevents any solid particles formed fromVthe action of the acid upon the metal parts of the system from passingthrough the outlet C.

A diagrammatic illustration of a refrigerating system is shown in Figure3 in whic- G represents a compressor having valve controlled inlet andoutlet connections G and G2 respectively. The medium which is compressedin the compressor G passes through the cooling coils H and at thelowermost portion of the coils is placed the scrubber con tainer Aarranged in a horizontal position. The outlet C of the scrubber isconnected to the coils I in abrine tank J by passing 85 through therelief valve K. The expanded 'medium is then carried to the inlet G ofthe compressor throughI the pipe L. v

In the operation ofl the system, the sulhur dioxide is liqueied in thecoils H and 90 1n the liquid state passes through the scrubber where theimpurities are removed and the purified liquid is then carried through"the expansion valve to the coils I Where it absorbs heat from the brinesolution and .again becomes gaseous and returns to the compressor.

The diameter of the container A is'preferably greater than that oftheipes forming the coils H and by placing t e scrubber below the coils itforms a reservoir for collecting the liquefied sulphur dioxide formed inthe coils. It will be apparent, therefore, that the scrubber performs atriple function; that is it removes the acid formed from theJrefrigerating medium; it constitutes a filter so as to remove from therefrigerating ine y dium the solid particles formed from vthe action ofthe acid upon the metal parts of l0. the s stem and it also acts as areservoir for f the liquid condensed in the cooling coils.

` What we claim as our invention is 1. The combination with arefrigerating system using a medium adapted to be liqueed and havingacid forming properties,` of a scrubber located in a position in saidsystem where said medium is in the liquid state, said scrubbercontaining a substance for removing acid impurities carried by saidmedium.

2. The combination with a refrigerating system using sulphur dioxidehaving acid forming properties as af refrigerating medium, of a scrubberllocated in a position in said system where the sulphur dioxide is inthe liquid state, said scrubber containing a material for removing, acidimpurities carried bysaid sulphur dioxide, said scrubber also havingmeans .associated with the -material aforesaid for removing from thesul-` phur dioxide any corrosive substances that maybe created by theaction of the acid on the metal parts of the system.

3. In a. refrigerating system, the combination with a compressor andcooling coils for liqueying the refrigerating medium, of a containerconnectedvto said coils to form a reservoir for the liquefied medium,said container being provided with inlet and outlet connections, andmeans for retaining an active material therebetween for removing acorrosive substance carried by said liquefied medium. f

4. In a refrigerating s stem using as the refrigerating medium su phurdioxide having acid-forming properties, the combination with a. pump forcompressing the *sulwhere said medium is liquid, said scrubbercontaining a substance for removing acorrosive impurit sssociated\ withsaid medium.

6. The com ination with a refrigerating system having a closed circuitand employing a refrigerating medium, said system having means formaintaining said medium liquid in one portion thereof and gaseous inother portions, of a scrubber located in said closed circuit at a pointwhere said medium is liquid, and means in said scrubber for chemicallyreacting with a corrosive impurity associated with said medium.

7. The combination with a refrigerating system having a closed circuitand employing sulphur dioxide as a refrigerating medium, said systemhaving means for maintaining the sulphur dioxide liquid in one portionand gaseous in other portions, of a. scrubber arranged in said closedcircuit in a portion where) all of the sulphur dioxide passestherethrough while in a liquid state, andmeans in the scrubber forremoving corrosive acid substances associated with the sulphur dioxide.

whereof we affix our signa- In testimony tures. y

HUBERT R. LORANGER. UBALD R. LORANGERZ phur dioxide and a condensingcoil for receiving the compressed sulphur dioxide, of a scrubber at thelower end of said condens- "ing coil comprising a container constitutinga reservoir for the condensed sulphur dioxide received from saidcondensing coil, said container having therein a material for chemicallyreacting with the acid im urities formed from the sulphur dioxide, anmeans in said container for removin from the sulphur dioxide theproducts o said chemical reaction.

5. The combination with a refrigerating system employing a refrigeratingmedium adapted to. be liqueed and having meansfor maintainin said mediumin the liquid state in a certain portion of the system, of a:

I 65 scrubber iocated in a portion of the system

